A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked an executive order from President Donald Trump that would cancel collective bargaining rights for most federal workers. 

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman blocked the Trump administration from implementing the order following a lawsuit from the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents about 160,000 federal employees.

The union claims in the lawsuit that the order would violate federal workers’ labor rights and is unconstitutional, adding that it would lose two-thirds of its membership and half of its dues if they order is allowed to go through. 

The order exempted more than a dozen agencies from the requirement to bargain with unions, including the departments of Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services departments.

It affects around 75% of the nearly one million federal workers represented by unions and expands an existing rule that exempts national security agencies like the FBI and CIA from collective bargaining requirements.

The U.S. Treasury Department also filed a lawsuit against the NTEU following the order to invalidate a collective bargaining agreement involving IRS employees. 

The order is part of the administration’s efforts to lessen the size of the federal government, by making it easier to discipline and fire workers and change working conditions. 

The temporary injunction will remain in place pending the outcome of the NTEU lawsuit. 

Friedman said he would issue an opinion explaining his ruling in the next few days.

He also gave attorneys on both sides a week to propose how the lawsuit should move forward. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo on Friday calling for a review of Military Equal Opportunity and DoD civilian Equal Employment Opportunity programs. The secretaries of each military department are required under the memo to assess the programs in place within their own departments.

In a video posted on X announcing the memo, Hegseth said that while it’s ‘a good thing’ that the military has multiple avenues for both service members and civilians to complain about harassment and discrimination, the systems have been ‘weaponized’ and used ‘in bad faith to retaliate against superiors or peers.’

The memo’s official title is ‘Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability,’ but Hegseth says he calls it the ‘No More Walking on Eggshells’ policy.

‘So, here’s the goal: empower leaders to make tough decisions, enforce standards, and restore good order and discipline,’ Hegseth said in the video.

The memo directs the secretaries to ensure that complaints that ‘are unsubstantiated by actionable, credible evidence are timely dismissed.’ Additionally, ‘favorable actions,’ such as awards and promotions, involving the alleged offender are to be considered until the complaint is substantiated. Finally, the memo states that those who ‘knowingly submit false complaints’ may face discipline.

The secretaries have 45 days to complete their reviews.

Hegseth is no stranger to controversy and has faced several allegations since being tapped to lead DoD. It is not a stretch to imagine that he might have empathy for those facing false or unsubstantiated allegations.

Prior to his confirmation, Hegseth faced allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and mismanagement of veterans’ organizations. This included an affidavit by his former sister-in-law in which she alleged that Hegseth was physically abusive to his ex-wife, Samantha ‘Sam’ Hegseth. However, Sam denied the allegations, saying she did not experience physical abuse during her marriage to Hegseth.

Hegseth told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he is not a ‘perfect person,’ but asserted that he was the subject of a ‘coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.’ 

Additionally, since becoming secretary of defense, Hegseth has been involved in two scandals regarding the encrypted messaging app Signal.

The first scandal occurred when The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal chat in which there were discussions about plans for the U.S. to strike Yemen. While National Security Advisor Mike Waltz took a lot of heat for the situation, Hegseth was not spared from criticism. In the end, the Trump administration insisted that the discussions in the group did not actually involve ‘war plans.’

On Sunday, Hegseth was accused of sharing military information in a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal attorney. The New York Times reported that people with knowledge of the situation said the information ‘included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen.’ 

Hegseth told ‘FOX & Friends’ that the allegations were meant to ‘sabotage’ President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Despite an op-ed suggesting that Hegseth could be on the way out, the White House has stood behind him.

‘He is bringing monumental change to the Pentagon, and there’s a lot of people in the city who reject monumental change, and I think, frankly, that’s why we’ve seen a smear campaign against the Secretary of Defense since the moment that President Trump announced his nomination before the United States Senate,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. 

Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump isn’t ‘trolling’ when it comes to efforts to acquire Greenland and make Canada the 51st state. 

Trump has discussed acquiring Greenland, Canada and Panama for months — and regularly has referred to Canada as the 51st U.S. state. Despite skepticism from some, Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine published Friday that he’s serious about these proposals. 

When asked by TIME’s Eric Cortellessa whether Trump was ‘trolling a bit’ suggesting Canada join the U.S., Trump replied, ‘Actually, no, I’m not.’

Cortellessa then asked if Trump intended to ‘grow the American empire,’ prompting Trump to double down on the significance of acquiring these key pieces of territory. 

‘Well, it depends as an empire, it wasn’t, these are not things that we had before, so I’d view it a little bit differently if we had the right opportunity,’ Trump said. ‘Yeah, I think Greenland would be very well off if they I think it’s important for us for national security and even international security.’

Trump also claimed the U.S. is ‘losing’ money supporting Canada, and the only solution on the table is for it to become a state. 

‘We’re taking care of their military,’ Trump said. ‘We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.’

The TIME piece was published a day after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters that Trump routinely discusses Canada becoming a state, claiming that Trump brings it up ‘all the time.’ Carney has previously shut down any notions that Canada will become a U.S. state. 

Meanwhile, Trump has emphasized that Greenland is key for national security purposes. While the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen and isn’t inclined to join the U.S., Trump has voiced a strong desire to secure Greenland amid increase Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic.

‘If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,’ Trump told reporters in March. ‘We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.’

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked a portion of President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity that is popular among Americans, according to a Gallup poll.

The portion of the order that Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down included provisions related to requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Less than two weeks before the 2024 election, Gallup found that 84% of U.S. adults were in favor of requiring voters to show identification and 83% supported requiring proof of citizenship when registering for the first time. 

When broken down by party, 67% of Democrats, 84% of Independents and 98% of Republicans were in favor of mandating voter ID. The party breakdown over proof of citizenship was similar, with 66% of Democrats, 84% of Independents and 96% of Republicans supporting the idea.

Kollar-Kotelly, however, argued that Trump did not have the authority to issue such an order, as the Constitution delegates control of election regulations to Congress and states.

‘Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would affect many of the changes the President purports to order,’ Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee, wrote in her order. ‘No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.’

Earlier this month, the House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship for those registering to vote in a federal election. Additionally, the act mandates that all non-citizens be removed from voter rolls. The Senate still needs to pass the measure before it can reach Trump’s desk.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who sponsored the bill in the House, wrote, ‘In order to preserve this republic, we must uphold what it means to be able to vote in a U.S. election. I am grateful that my colleagues answered the call and passed the SAVE Act, as this serves as a critical first step to ensure that we maintain election integrity throughout our country.’

So far in 2025, five states have enacted voter ID requirements, and one has mandated proof of citizenship for registration, according to Voting Rights Lab. Additionally, 25 states are considering bills that would mandate proof of citizenship, while 40 are mulling legislation requiring voter ID.

Did they or didn’t they?

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping ‘many times’ but did not say if any of those communications took place since he imposed stiff tariffs on the communist nation. 

Asked for details about those communications, Trump responded by saying ‘I’ll let you know at the appropriate time.’

Trump’s latest comments, which took place before he boarded Marine One to travel to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, come after days of back and forth between the countries over whether they are in direct talks about reducing the tariffs – and whether Trump and Xi have spoken directly to one another since the tariffs were rolled out. 

Trump’s tariffs on China, which have rattled global stock markets and upended supply chains, have ballooned to 145% while China has responded by slapping a 125% tariff on its U.S. imports. 

In a newly published TIME article published Friday morning, Trump is quoted as saying that Xi personally called him to discuss trade matters. 

‘. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf,’ Trump is quoted as saying, without providing specifics about the timing or content of the call.

When asked what Xi said, Trump sidestepped his response by saying ‘We all want to make deals. But I am this giant store. It’s a giant, beautiful store, and everybody wants to go shopping there. And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I’ll say, if you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay.’

‘You have to understand, I’m dealing with all the companies, very friendly countries,’ he said, when asked about trade adviser Peter Navarro, saying 90 deals in 90 days is possible. ‘We’re meeting with China. We’re doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I’ve made all the deals.’

The TIME interview took place on Tuesday, with Trump saying publicly on the same day that things were going ‘fine with China’ and that the final tariff rate on Chinese exports would come down ‘substantially’ from the current 145%.

Trump also told reporters earlier in the week that ‘everything’s active’ when asked if he was engaging with China, although his treasury secretary had said there were no formal negotiations.

Those comments led to Beijing on Thursday denying any suggestion that it was in active negotiations with the administration.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said during a daily briefing on Thursday that, ‘For all I know, China and the U.S. are not having any consultation or negotiation on tariffs, still less reaching a deal.’

‘China’s position is consistent, and we are open to consultations and dialogues, but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner,’ Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong said.

Asked Thursday about China denying there were any conversations ongoing with the United States, Trump said, ‘We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, and we’ve been meeting with China,’ before adding, ‘it doesn’t matter who they is.’

Trump said Tuesday that the hefty tax rate of 145% Americans must currently pay for Chinese imports will likely be reduced significantly.  

While Trump said the rate ‘won’t be zero,’ he expressed optimism over a potential trade deal with China. 

‘One hundred forty-five percent is very high, and it won’t be that high,’ Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. ‘It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.’ 

Fox News’ Greg Norman, Bonny Chu and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are pushing back against a report saying they have discussed lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets, calling the anonymously sourced article from Politico ‘totally fictitious’ and ‘fake crap.’

The outlet released a report citing internal White House officials Thursday, indicating Witkoff and Rubio had been in discussions about potentially lifting energy-related sanctions as part of a wider peace negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.

‘This is false,’ Rubio and Witkoff said in a joint statement released by the White House. ‘Neither of us have had any conversations about lifting sanctions on Russia as part of a peace deal with Ukraine. This is just totally fictitious and irresponsible reporting from Politico, a fifth-rate publication. If they have an ounce of journalistic integrity, they will fully retract this piece of fiction.’

The report from Politico claimed ‘five people familiar with the discussions’ said Witkoff has been a ‘main proponent’ of lifting sanctions against Russian energy assets, including the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, one of the country’s main natural gas pipelines that goes to Europe. 

The Politico report claimed Rubio has tried to derail the efforts, saying there is an ongoing rift between U.S. energy export proponents and those who want to improve ties with Russia. 

When reached for comment, a Politico spokesperson said the outlet stands by its reporting.    

‘There isn’t even a kernel of truth to this story – Politico was played by their ‘sources’ yet again,’ Witkoff said in a separate statement posted by his X account after the report was published. ‘It’s embarrassing that they print this type of fake crap.’

‘More bulls— from the liars at Politico smearing Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff with pure fake news,’ Donald Trump Jr. posted on X. ‘How do they get away with continuing to run these fake stories????’

‘I hope Politico has good defamation insurance coverage,’ Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee wrote on social media. ‘Or maybe I don’t.’

‘Politico is a C-rated tabloid, fraught with poor sourcing and a TDS epidemic, pretending to be serious news,’ White House spokesperson Anna Kelly added. ‘This story is one of many pathetic tall tales that have been debunked, but their reporters are too desperate to report fake drama to discern truth from fact.’

Sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline were established during the first Trump administration and waived by President Joe Biden a few months after he entered office. However, Biden reinstituted the sanctions after Russia’s decision to enter into war with Ukraine. 

The energy sector has played a central role in the ongoing negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. has reportedly proposed taking control of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and is pushing to ink a critical minerals deal to help repay America’s military assistance. The U.S. has also reportedly floated the idea of taking over Ukrainian natural gas pipelines to help with the repayment. 

Russia and Ukraine recently ended a U.S.-brokered temporary truce, agreeing not to attack each other’s energy infrastructure, earlier this month.

But the negotiations reached a critical point after Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. is prepared to walk away from further ceasefire negotiations if the two sides do not strike a deal. Vance’s remarks were followed up by a post on Truth Social by the president, who blasted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to accept the annexation of Crimea as part of a peace deal.

‘We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,’ Trump said of Zelenskyy in his post. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on this story but did not receive a response in time for publication.